Ashgabat is called Aşgabat in Turkmen, Ашхабад (Ashkhabad) in Russian, and Ešq-ābād (عشق‌آباد) in Persian. Before 1991, the city was usually spelled Ashkabad in English, a transliteration of the Russian form, which was itself from the original Persian form. It has also been variously spelled Ashkhabat and Ashgabad. From 1919 until 1927 the city was renamed Poltoratsk after a local revolutionary.

The name in Persian means "city of love" or "city of devotion". Some Turkmen scholars insist that the name goes back to the Parthian era, 3rd century BC, deriving from the name of the founder of the Parthian Empire, Arsaces I of Parthia, modified by Turkish pronunciation to Ashk-Abad (the city of Ashk/Arsaces).[3]

Ashgabat is a relatively young city, having been founded in 1881 as a fortification and named after the nearby settlement of Askhabad (lit. beloved city in Turkmen).[4] Located not far from the site of Nisa, the ancient capital of the Parthian Empire, it grew on the ruins of the Silk Road city of Konjikala, first mentioned as a wine-producing village in the 2nd century BC and leveled by an earthquake in the 1st century BC (a precursor of the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake). Konjikala was rebuilt because of its advantageous location on the Silk Road and it flourished until its destruction by Mongols in the 13th century. After that it survived as a small village until Russians took over in the 19th century.[5][6]

In 1919, the city was renamed Poltoratsk (Полторацк), after Pavel Poltoratsky, the Chairman of the Soviet of National Economy of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.[4][8] When the Turkmen SSR was established in 1924, Poltoratsk became its capital; original name (in the form of "Ashkhabad") was restored in 1927.[4] From this period onward, the city experienced rapid growth and industrialisation, although severely disrupted by a major earthquake on October 6, 1948. An estimated 7.3 on the Richter scale, the earthquake killed 110-176,000[9][10][11] (⅔ of the population of the city), although the official number announced by Soviet news was only 40,000.[12]

In July 2003, all the names of streets in Ashgabat were replaced by serial numbers except nine major highways, some named after Saparmurat Niyazov, his father and mother. The Central Palace area is designated 2000 to symbolize the beginning of the 21st century. The rest of the streets have larger or smaller four-digit numerical names.

When Ashgabat was under the rule of Russia, it was known as Ishqábád and at that time the Bahá'í Faith was under the protection and freedom of the Russian authorities. The number of Bahá'ís of Ishqábád rose to over 1,000 and for the first time anywhere in the world a true Bahá'í community was established, with its own schools, medical facilities, cemetery, etc. They elected one of the first Bahá'í local administrative institutions. In 1908 the Bahá'í community completed construction of the first Bahá'í House of Worship, the spiritual and social heart of the Bahá'í community. The House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of mašriqu-l-'aḏkār (Arabic: مشرق اﻻذكار‎),[15] was a gathering place where people of all religions may worship God without denominational restrictions.[16] The building was designed under the guidance of `Abdu'l-Bahá by Ustad' Ali-Akbar Banna Yazdi who also wrote a history of the Baha'is in Ashgabat.[17][18]

The House of Worship itself was surrounded by gardens with four buildings at the four corners of the gardens: a school, a hostel where travelling Bahá'ís were entertained, a small hospital, and a building for groundskeepers. The House of Worship in 'Ishqábád has been the only house of worship thus far to have the humanitarian subsidiaries associated with the institution built alongside it.[18]

During the period of the Soviet Union Russia adopted the Soviet policy of oppression of religion, so the Bahá'ís, strictly adhering to their principle of obedience to legal government, abandoned these properties in 1928.[19] For the decade between 1938 and 1948, when it was seriously damaged by the earthquake, it was an art gallery. It was demolished in 1963.[16]

After exiting the Soviet Union, the city gained many high-rise residential buildings. Ashgabat has adopted modern construction techniques has become a high-rise infill development (mainly 12-storeyed). Primarily consisting of residential towers, the first floor is given a shopping area and the service department, many of the buildings are made of marble. The Arch of Neutrality was dismantled and re-erected in its original form in the south of the capital. Turkmenistan Tower, at a height of 211 meters, is the tallest building in the country.

Ashgabat is primarily a government and administrative centre. The business centre of Ashgabat is on the Archabil highway. Construction of several ministries and departments, teaching and research and cultural centres is complete. Development of office buildings and public spaces along the avenue continues.[22]

The principal industries are cotton textiles and metal working. It is a major stop on the Trans-Caspian railway. A large percentage of the employment in Ashgabat is provided by the state institutions; such as the ministries, undersecretariats, and other administrative bodies of the Turkmenistan government. There are also many foreign citizens working as diplomats or clerks in the embassies of their respective countries.

Over 43 large and 128 medium industrial enterprises along with over 1,700 small industrial facilities are located on the territory of Ashgabat and its suburbs.[23] The most important are “Ashneftemash”, “Turkmenkabel”, “Turkmenbashi Textile Complex” etc.[24]

Foreign visitors to Ashgabat usually like to visit Altyn Asyr Bazaar in Choganly, where myriad things ranging from traditional fabrics, hand-woven carpets and massive range of commodities can be found at bargain prices. Modern shopping areas are mostly found in central streets, including the modern Turkish mall Ýimpaş, just a popular shopping centers are Paýtagt and Aşgabat.[25] The local residents like traditional bazaars: Russian bazaar, Teke bazaar, Daşoguz bazaar, Mir bazaar, Jennet bazaar, etc.

Public transport in the city consists mainly of buses. More than 60 bus lines cover a total range of over 2,230 kilometres (1,386 miles) with 700 buses running on urban routes. Currently the city primarily uses Mercedes-Benz and Hyunda buses.[29] Bus timetables and detailed schematic map of the route are at every stop. Distances between stops are about 300–500 meters. From October 19, 1964 to December 31, 2011 the city also had the Ashgabat trolleybus system. At the beginning of the twentieth century narrow-gauge railway operated by steam-power, connecting the city with the suburbs Firyuza.

The Kopet-Dag mountain range is about 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the south, and Ashgabat's northern boundary touches the Kara-Kum desert. Because of this Ashgabat has an arid climate with hot, dry summers and cool, short winters. The average high temperature in July is 38.3 °C (100.9 °F). Nighttimes in the summer are warm, with an average minimum temperature in July of 23.8 °C (75 °F). The average January high temperature is 8.6 °C (47.5 °F), and the average low temperature is −0.4 °C (31.3 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Ashgabat is 46.7 °C (116 °F), recorded in June 1995.[31][32] A low temperature of −24.1 °C (−11 °F) was recorded in January 1969.[31] Snow is infrequent in the area. Annual precipitation is only 201 millimetres (7.91 in); March and April are the wettest months.

Ashgabat has many parks and open spaces mainly established in the early years of the Independence and well maintained and expanded thereafter. The most important of these parks are: the Botanical Garden, Güneş, Turkmen-Turkish friendship, Independence. The oldest city park - Ashgabat, founded in 1887.[42] In the center of town is the Inspiration Alley, art-park complex, which is a favorite place for townspeople. Amusement park World of Turkmenbashi Tales - a local version of Disneyland. Squares: 10 years of independence of Turkmenistan, Magtymguly, Eternal Flame, Zelili, Chyrchyk, Garashsyzlyk, March 8, Gerogly, Dolphin, 15 years of Independence, Ruhyýet, 10 ýyl Abadançylyk.[43]